Schools Guide 2017

Sedbergh

'Sedbergh is unique,' says head Andrew Fleck, and we
wouldn't dream of arguing. For starters, there's that totally
spectacular location in the Yorkshire Dales, which gives pupils
'unparalleled freedom'. It's full-boarding too, which brings an
'extraordinarily strong sense of community and culture',
says Mr Fleck. Pupils have huge loyalty to their
houses, where everyone chows down together. And, of course,
Sedbergh is one of Britain's leading sports schools - over 400
pupils have played for their country since 2000.
In the past year, two rugby players have won international caps,
the hockey girls are national sixes champions, pupils are in the
GB cadet rifle team and a member of the newly formed equestrian team is a national champion as is one of the sailing
team. The school is at its biggest ever, and the
A-level grades have shot up: 63 per cent A*-B
last year (up from 54 per cent), almost a third
of which were A* or A grades. Sedbergh pupils
are a nicely grounded, straightforward bunch,
ever up for a challenge. 'They are confident of their abilities
but do not have an over-inflated sense of their
own importance,' says Mr Fleck. As one mother
judiciously puts it, this is 'a no-nonsense, full-boarding school
that offers huge breadth to pupils both in and out of the
classroom'.